What’s in your May Basket?
Do you remember the tradition of making May Baskets and taking them to the homes of friends and family, ringing the doorbell, then running away to see if they could catch you? I remember making May baskets out of wallpaper swatches, carefully choosing colors and designs for the cone-shaped baskets, gluing or stapling the ends so that no candy could leak out the bottom, then adding a flat handle for carrying. Filling the May basket with candy was so fun…. but the real fun began when we rang the doorbell and hid behind a bush and saw that surprised look of our neighbors and friends as they answered the door! Then the chase began… and if they caught us, kisses! Oh, my!
I don’t know if children still continue this tradition, and if they do, I would doubt that the baskets are made of wallpaper swatches. These traditions were so important because they emphasized spending time to honor friends and family, yet they cost very little. Maybe one of the blessings of this tough economy is an opportunity to reflect on the things that money can’t buy? Maybe this is a chance for us to stay home and be with each other instead of being on the go all the time? Maybe it is true that Less is More?
What is in YOUR May basket? Can you dig deep into your childhood to find the things that you did as a child that were free yet made life grand? I think of things like running through the sprinkler, lying on the grass and making dandelion necklaces or whistles out of reeds, playing Starlight, Moonlight and Ante –I – Over….. telling ghost stories on the back steps…. reading books under the shade trees in the back yard…… writing love letters but never mailing them…Okay, now it’s your turn…. what comes to YOUR mind? Please share them with me!
Photo credit: Uncle Al’s HollyHocks by Bev Benda
